Thursday, February 9
Winston-Salem, N.C.
5:00 P.M.
Wake Forest University
vs
#1 Ohio State
Ninth-Ranked Demon Deacons Primed for Top-10 Showdown With No. 1 Ohio State
2/8/2023 4:26:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Wake Forest will welcome the top-ranked Buckeyes to the Indoor Tennis Center in a highly-anticipated early-season clash.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In a rematch of the 2018 NCAA National Championship, Wake Forest's ninth-ranked men's tennis team will square off with No. 1 Ohio State inside the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center Thursday evening.
First serve of the bout between the Demon Deacons and the Buckeyes will commence at 5:00 p.m.
After starting the 2023 campaign 10-0 for the first time since 2018, Wake Forest is seeking its third top-25 win of the season. Additionally, a victory over the Buckeyes on Thursday would mark the Demon Deacons' third win over a top-ranked opponent in program history.
Match Schedule
The live stream for all matches will be provided via Playsight, while the live stats can be found here.
Fan Information
Wake Forest Athletics is committed to providing the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina within a safe and fan-friendly environment.
Admission to all Wake Forest tennis matches are free of charge.
Last Time Out
Behind an undefeated mark in doubles play, Wake Forest earned a pair of victories Saturday over in-state foe Campbell (6-1) and South Carolina State (7-0) inside the Indoor Tennis Center.
Saturday's win over Campbell improved the Deacs to 14-0 over schools in the state of North Carolina, dating back to the start of the 2022 campaign.
Against Campbell, the Demon Deacons secured the doubles point as each of the Deacs' pairs earned 6-2 victories on their respective courts. Boasting a 1-0 lead heading into singles, the Deacs won five matches en route to a 6-1 decision over the Fighting Camels. Of note, freshman Saud Alhogbani's win in sixth singles marked his first-career duals singles win.
Despite presenting a different trio of doubles pairs against South Carolina State, Wake Forest earned wins in first and third doubles to quickly clinch the doubles point against the Bulldogs. Then, the Deacs accumulated a perfect 6-0 mark in singles action to secure the 7-0 victory.
The Matchup - No. 1 Ohio State
Ohio State enters Thursday's match with a perfect 9-0 ledger, including back-to-back sweeps over No. 23 Texas A&M (7-0) and No. 6 Texas (4-0).
The Buckeyes have allowed just one point all season, which came in a 6-1 victory over Illinois on Jan. 22. Of note, the Buckeyes are outsourcing their opponents 47-1 overall this season.
Ranked Buckeyes
Singles
#9 – JJ Tracy
#28 – James Trotter
#41 – Alexander Bernard
#75 – Robert Cash
Doubles
#1 – Andrew Lutschaunig/JJ Tracy
#25 – Andrew Lutschaunig/James Trotter
A year ago, Ohio State finished with a 28-4 record, including a perfect 7-0 mark in conference play. The Buckeyes' 2022 campaign came to an end in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament as they fell to Kentucky, 4-1.
Thursday will mark the fourteenth meeting between the Demon Deacons and the Buckeyes as Wake Forest owns a 3-10 record against Ohio State all-time.
Returning Production
Wake Forest returns nine Demon Deacons from a season ago, including 2022 All-ACC second team honoree Melios Efstathiou and 2022 All-ACC third team selections Jurabek Karimov and Filippo Moroni.
Efstathiou, a product of Limassol, Cyprus, logged a 16-7 dual singles record last spring. He has collected a total of 76-career singles wins. Efstathiou posted a stellar 13-5 (5-1 ACC) record at No. 2 and 3 singles last season, including a 3-2 record at the No. 1 position. Overall, Efstathiou is 76-31 in singles action since joining the Deacs.
In his first season in Winston-Salem, Karimov's road to third-team All-ACC a season ago included a 6-12 (2-3 ACC) dual singles record. The Tashkent, Uzbekistan logged three ranked wins. In doubles competition, Karimov has posted a 6-2 (4-1 ACC) mark in dual matches.
Moroni posted an 11-3 mark in dual matches and reached the NCAA Singles Championships Round of 32 during the 2022 campaign. Of note, Moroni earned two ranked wins and clinched four matches with the Demon Deacons last season.
Sustained Success
Wake Forest has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past nine seasons, including the 2018 season in which the Demon Deacons won the program's first ever NCAA Championship.
Since head coach Tony Bresky took over the program in 2012, the Deacs have accumulated 31 All-ACC honors. Of note, five Demon Deacons earned All-ACC honors last season, marking the most in a single season in program history.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
First serve of the bout between the Demon Deacons and the Buckeyes will commence at 5:00 p.m.
After starting the 2023 campaign 10-0 for the first time since 2018, Wake Forest is seeking its third top-25 win of the season. Additionally, a victory over the Buckeyes on Thursday would mark the Demon Deacons' third win over a top-ranked opponent in program history.
Match Schedule
- Thursday, Feb. 9
- 5:00 p.m. - No. 9 Wake Forest vs. No. 1 Ohio State
The live stream for all matches will be provided via Playsight, while the live stats can be found here.
Fan Information
Wake Forest Athletics is committed to providing the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina within a safe and fan-friendly environment.
Admission to all Wake Forest tennis matches are free of charge.
Last Time Out
Behind an undefeated mark in doubles play, Wake Forest earned a pair of victories Saturday over in-state foe Campbell (6-1) and South Carolina State (7-0) inside the Indoor Tennis Center.
Saturday's win over Campbell improved the Deacs to 14-0 over schools in the state of North Carolina, dating back to the start of the 2022 campaign.
Against Campbell, the Demon Deacons secured the doubles point as each of the Deacs' pairs earned 6-2 victories on their respective courts. Boasting a 1-0 lead heading into singles, the Deacs won five matches en route to a 6-1 decision over the Fighting Camels. Of note, freshman Saud Alhogbani's win in sixth singles marked his first-career duals singles win.
Despite presenting a different trio of doubles pairs against South Carolina State, Wake Forest earned wins in first and third doubles to quickly clinch the doubles point against the Bulldogs. Then, the Deacs accumulated a perfect 6-0 mark in singles action to secure the 7-0 victory.
The Matchup - No. 1 Ohio State
Ohio State enters Thursday's match with a perfect 9-0 ledger, including back-to-back sweeps over No. 23 Texas A&M (7-0) and No. 6 Texas (4-0).
The Buckeyes have allowed just one point all season, which came in a 6-1 victory over Illinois on Jan. 22. Of note, the Buckeyes are outsourcing their opponents 47-1 overall this season.
Ranked Buckeyes
Singles
#9 – JJ Tracy
#28 – James Trotter
#41 – Alexander Bernard
#75 – Robert Cash
Doubles
#1 – Andrew Lutschaunig/JJ Tracy
#25 – Andrew Lutschaunig/James Trotter
A year ago, Ohio State finished with a 28-4 record, including a perfect 7-0 mark in conference play. The Buckeyes' 2022 campaign came to an end in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament as they fell to Kentucky, 4-1.
Thursday will mark the fourteenth meeting between the Demon Deacons and the Buckeyes as Wake Forest owns a 3-10 record against Ohio State all-time.
Returning Production
Wake Forest returns nine Demon Deacons from a season ago, including 2022 All-ACC second team honoree Melios Efstathiou and 2022 All-ACC third team selections Jurabek Karimov and Filippo Moroni.
Efstathiou, a product of Limassol, Cyprus, logged a 16-7 dual singles record last spring. He has collected a total of 76-career singles wins. Efstathiou posted a stellar 13-5 (5-1 ACC) record at No. 2 and 3 singles last season, including a 3-2 record at the No. 1 position. Overall, Efstathiou is 76-31 in singles action since joining the Deacs.
In his first season in Winston-Salem, Karimov's road to third-team All-ACC a season ago included a 6-12 (2-3 ACC) dual singles record. The Tashkent, Uzbekistan logged three ranked wins. In doubles competition, Karimov has posted a 6-2 (4-1 ACC) mark in dual matches.
Moroni posted an 11-3 mark in dual matches and reached the NCAA Singles Championships Round of 32 during the 2022 campaign. Of note, Moroni earned two ranked wins and clinched four matches with the Demon Deacons last season.
Sustained Success
Wake Forest has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past nine seasons, including the 2018 season in which the Demon Deacons won the program's first ever NCAA Championship.
Since head coach Tony Bresky took over the program in 2012, the Deacs have accumulated 31 All-ACC honors. Of note, five Demon Deacons earned All-ACC honors last season, marking the most in a single season in program history.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Players Mentioned
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